Kathie Missett has taken puppy love to a whole new dimension, creating an Internet business promoting natural nutrition for pooches.

Missett started her business, Puppy Love Muffins & Specialty Dog Food, after adopting her rescue dog, Bailey. Bailey had some health issues and Missett wanted to ensure her pet was getting the best possible diet to help build his immune system naturally.

But she became disenchanted with dog-food options after exploring alternatives and discovering that even high-quality dog food brands used substandard ingredients, by-products, artificial preservatives and supplements.

Missett, an Ocean Beach resident, developed what she said is a better, healthier, dog-food alternative: muffins.

“I had some heart-shaped tins from Valentine’s Day and I came up with the idea for Puppy Love Muffins, little meat muffins with all sorts of nutritional food,” she said.

Now, she’s adding “a baking fool,” pointing out she once baked 600 muffins at one time for a pet parade.

It would represent the birth of Missett’s virtual bakery, www.puppylovemuffins.com.

“I started this business just about a year ago and it’s really started selling,” said Missett. She said all her doggie muffins are freshly baked, adding it takes three days to process an online order.

Missett’s customers speak highly of Puppy Love’s product line.

“I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a healthy alternative dog food,” said Gwendolyn Fuentes, whose dog, Domingo, is an Italian greyhound/chihuahua mix. “[Fuentes] is incredibly knowledgeable, and I have learned quite a bit about how bad conventional dog food can be for our pet. What I really like about her is her passion, and how she can present all her research and findings without ego,” said Fuentes. “She knows her stuff, but she isn’t going to make you feel like a bad pet owner if you choose another path.”

Fuentes describe Missett’s muffins as “amazing.”

“My dog will go on strike if I don’t offer him a muffin,” she said.

Fellow customer Lily Jeovanna Matteotti concurs with Fuentes.

“I recently adopted a puppy (Tucker, a King Charles cavalier) with a known heart condition,” Matteotti said. “I began reading up on dog food shortly after picking up my puppy, but I wasn’t too impressed and, in fact, a little shocked at what type of ‘filler stuff’ type food (wheat, corn) is on the market. Puppy Love Muffins was exactly what I needed, dog food that provided all the nutrients, minerals for my dog and all the convenience of not having to make it myself.”

Matteotti said she appreciates that Puppy Love Muffins “has done their research.”

“I would recommend them to any dog owner that is looking for the same things I was looking for: healthy local ingredients, convenient for me and made locally in the USA,” she said. “The plus side is I’m supporting a small business. Tucker loves them, and I feel good knowing I’ve done the best I can.”

Missett said the pet-food industry is a good business to be in because it’s just exploding.

The global pet food industry has doubled in the last 10 years, she said.